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If you live in Orange County and are a music lover chances are you’ve been to Original Mike’s. We’re proud to be collaborating with our good friends the Funk Freaks to bring you another edition of Dia De Los Discos on Saturday November 4th! Original Mike’s has had some legendary artists perform in the past such as:

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Since it’s still black history month which also encompasses J Dilla celebrations all over the world, we at Beat Swap Meet bring you 5 most slept on Jay Dee remixes. Jay Dee (1972-2006) aka James Dewitt Yancey aka J Dilla was a tremendously skilled and highly regarded artist known for his signature production style and rugged vocal flow. Dilla was known to place his magic touch on fellow artists recordings in the form of remixes.
Jay Dee was part of seminal Detroit, Michigan Hip Hop group Slum Village. His musical influence became quite evident as his reach and visibility started to grow steadily as his group gained prominence around the turn of the century. Dilla’s work with production super group the Ummah further spiked demand for that Dilla touch on artist tracks regardless of genre.
Jay Dee’s catalog is far too deep to attempt a “top 5” approach to this blog. There are plenty of well known Dilla joints that he hooked up for associated acts, so we bring you 5 most slept on Jay Dee remixes:

1. Busta Rhymes – Woo-hah (got you all in check). The original gets bumped on the regular. But this Dilla remix has that head nod shit that make you break your neck just as much as the original mix.

2. The Pharcyde – She Said. Again the original mix is dope, no question. The Jay Dee remix that accompanies a completely different video for “She Said” with Imani, Bootie Brown, Fat Lip, and Slim Kid3 wildin out in Amsterdam fits the mood of the visuals like a glove. Smoother than the Pharcyde’s game to all the Dutch girls.

3. Keith Murray – The Rhyme. That undeniable Jay Dee snare cutting through the mix like a Detroit steel katana backs up Mr. Murray as he keeps it “jiggy.” Is that a piece of Bob James Nautilus I hear in the hook?

4. Mary J. Blige – Ooh. Mary J just sounds so good on this Dilla beat. Smooth roughness as expected.

5. Jamiroquai – Black Capricorn Day. Can’t front, I slept hard on this like a brick futon. Would love an instrumental of this Dilla joint tho. Unofficially released on vinyl, this Slum Village/Jamiroquai 12″ record would be quite the find at Beat Swap Meet.

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So it’s been a week since the release of the new album by XL Middleton and Eddy Funkster. If you have not copped it yet you are seriously sleeping. The homie XL was gracious enough to bless me with a copy. MoFunk Records is killing the game right now in the modern funk scene. They are starting to really develop their own signature sound and this album is no exception. It’s a family affair because pretty much everybody on the label is on the album in one way or another. The first track is appropriately titled “Mofunk Anthem.” It features Moniquea and Diamond Ortiz. If you have ever been to a MoFunk show you have definitely heard this song. It is an anthem. “Show Some Respect” is an electro funk slapper sure to raise elbows up at any place it is bumped. Another great track is “California Fly.” It’s an homage to classic 90’s g-funk shit in the LBC. It even features 90’s rapper Domino. Yes, that Domino. Overall the album is solid. If you enjoy electro funk with a 90’s g-funk twist and lowrider vibe you will enjoy it. For more information about MoFunk Records and to purchase the album click here.

-DJ 671

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Some music fans gets tattoos of their favorite band. Some name their kids after them. Some stalk them. To each their own right? But some dude in Florida who is a fan of the German electronic pioneers Kraftwerk legally changed his name. To Kraftwerk. He even documented the whole thing on flickr. So next time you hear somebody say they are the biggest Kraftwerk fan tell them about this guy: Kraftwerk.

-DJ 671

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Orange County loves their funk. Serio. If you cruise down the streets of Santa Ana chances are you will hear some boogie funk slappers bumping hard. New labels like MoFunk Records, Voltaire Records, Omega Supreme, etc. are keeping the modern funk movement alive and well. These labels have funk pioneer legends like Cameo, the Bar-Kays, Midnight Star, One Way, and Ozone to thank for paving the way. If you are not familiar with these groups you definitely are familiar with their songs. Cameo’s most famous are ‘Word Up” and “Candy”, Midnight Star told you not to park on the dance floor, and One Way’s “Cutie Pie” still gets the dance floor going. If you live in Southern California you can see all these groups together at the Orange County Funk Fest at the Anaheim Convention Center, along with the “Stone City Band”, “Slap-Bak”, and DJ OmarGod. Curious Entertainment is throwing the event. Tickets were sold out, but as of this writing they have an additional 100 tickets for $40 each left. If you love funk you definitely do not want to miss out. It all goes down Saturday, July 23rd. Just remember no parking on the dance floor.

-DJ 671

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There probably isn’t one vinyl night, b-boy competition or backyard party in Southern California that hasn’t felt the influence of Technics Repair Guru Abel Sisneros. Although being an accomplished and well known DJ and 45 collector, Abel has for the past 15 years been the go-to turntable repair person for those in the know.

Technics updated the SL-1200 in 1979 and gave the world the SL-1200mk 2. The redesigned turntable simplified and tactile controls and high torque direct drive motor not only allowed quick starts and stops, but eventually led DJ’s to start using them like musical instruments. From then until the present day, 36 long years later, Technics turntables have reigned supreme the world over for professional and amateur DJ’s alike and remained the only constant in the ever-evolving DJ booth.

This is where a guy like Abel comes in, and why so many have relied on his expertise to keep the party going. Venues like the Echo, The Observatory , The House of Blues and Dublab have had him looking after their DJ booths, to make sure the music never stops.

Chances are pretty good that if you’ve ever done a DJ set in the LA or OC area, you most likely played a set on DJ Abel maintained set of SL-1200’s! For more information about getting your decks repaired or to schedule an appointment you can contact Abel at: https://www.facebook.com/DjAbel

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Stoner alert. Have you tried syncing the Wizard of Oz with Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon? Of course you have. Well now apparently you can add another movie to the list: Star Wars: The Force Awakens. According to an article on consequence of sound, “Apparently, three replays of Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety becomes the perfect soundtrack for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. According to Reddit, pressing play as the film’s opening scroll ends and the camera pans to the spaceship starts a synchronization that almost lines up perfectly with each act in the movie.” Click here for the entire article as well as more spoiler alerts. Here’s a clip of the first 8 minutes synced below. Blaze it up and enjoy.

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Every time I travel with records I get stopped by the TSA. Every time. Some of the younger TSA agents have never seen records before so they have no idea what they are looking at in the x-ray scan. Thank goodness for 45s because they make it mad easier to travel. No DJ wants to check in their record bag if they don’t have to. Too many variables. I’ve heard heart breaking stories about records lost, damaged or stolen. I have the same bag I use when I travel for records that is the perfect size and can fit under the seat. Apparently RJD2 has the same routine when it comes to traveling records but went through some drama recently. According to an article on Vice he was nearly kicked off his flight over an argument over his carry on bag with his records. He was told his his bag was too big and he had to check it in. He then went to twitter:

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A photo posted by Zoinks (@zoinksrecords) on Feb 7, 2016 at 8:53am PST

The Pasadena City College Flea Market hosts one of So Cal’s longest running and well stocked record swaps. Every first Sunday, in addition to roaming the flea market for clothes, toys, furniture, and more, you can explore the crates of over 50 vendors, selling vinyl and other used music mediums. PCC is an awesome place to get your collection started or possibly find that one gem you’ve been searching for, with numerous genres of music being sold, from punk to hip hop.

Tucked away on the east side of the city of Pasadena, the PCC Record Swap was originally a record club held at the Capitol Records building in the 1970’s. Once the city found out about it and wanted to require licenses for all the vendors, the promoters moved the show to Pasadena City College, where it’s built a following over the years.

Robert of Zoinks Records in Pomona sells at PCC every Month. “I like the fact that people that didn’t go to shop for records often end up shopping at our space.” Armand Lewis, a jazz record dealer for over 25 years at PCC, had the same sentiment. “…young, old, you name it, they’ve shown up there. I’ve made lot of friends as well as learned a lot about music, the music business and business itself. You can’t ask for a better way to spend your day.”

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For a little over a year now, you can stop by The Regent Theater in Downtown LA (a recently renovated space on main street, bordering the bank & toy districts) on 1st Sundays of the month, and find some amazing collectible items to further up your décor level at home, music on your turntable, or threads on your back.

It’s the Rock ‘N’ Roll Flea Market, and it boasts anything from vinyl records in various genres to musical instruments (still thinking of taking up guitar?). You can also find vintage clothing and jewelry to round out your shopping for the weekend. Not in the shopping mood? RNR Flea has 2 full bars, DJ’s spinning all day, and even a really fun “boozy brunch bingo,” where you can eat and drink while battling it out for some concert ticket prizes (I won tix to see Nightmares on Wax back in October, so clearly anyone can win)!

Mike Andrews, one of the organizers of the RNR Flea Market (and co-owner of the gift & design shop, Inheritance) said “We have had vendors selling weed smoking dinosaur coloring books and articulated brass bird skulls,” when asked what were a few bizarre items he’s seen for sale, so if you’re looking for unique items to add to your collection, this is a great spot for that. Some vendors include Bunny and Wolf out of Long Beach, who sell vintage clothing, LA LA Land Prints, who specialize in concert posters, Cowpunk Leather, and more.

The next Rock ‘N’ Roll Flea Market takes place on Sunday, April 3rd at The Regent Theater in Downtown LA. More info is available at their website: www.rnrflea.com